On All Souls’ Eve, both children and grown-up people go from door to door, a-souling, i.e., begging for soul cakes, or anything else they can get. In some districts they perform a kind of play as well, but in all instances the following, or a similar song, is sung:—
“You gentlemen of England, pray you now draw near
To these few lines, and you soon shall hear
Sweet melody of music all on this evening clear,
For we are come a-souling for apples and strong beer.
Step down into your cellar, and see what you can find,
If your barrels are not empty, we hope you will prove kind;
We hope you will prove kind with your apples and strong beer,
We’ll come no more a-souling until another year.
Cold winter it is coming on, dark, dirty, wet and cold,
To try your good nature, this night we do make bold;
This night we do make bold with your apples and strong beer,
And we’ll come no more a-souling until another year.
All the houses that we’ve been at, we’ve had both meat and drink,
So now we’re dry with travelling, we hope you’ll on us think;
We hope you’ll on us think with your apples and strong beer,
For we’ll come no more a-souling until another year.
God bless the master of this house, and the mistress also.
And all the little children that round the table go;
Likewise your men and maidens, your cattle and your store,
And all that lies within your gates we wish you ten times more;
We wish you ten times more with your apples and strong beer,
And we’ll come no more a-souling until another year.”
Jour. of the Arch. Assoc. 1850, vol. v. p. 252.
In the parish of Lymm it is customary, for a week or ten days before the 5th of November, for the skeleton of a horse’s head, dressed up with ribbons, &c., having glass eyes inserted in the sockets, and mounted on a short pole by way of handle, to be carried by a man underneath covered with a horse-cloth. There is generally a chain attached to the nose, which is held by a second man, and they are attended by several others. In houses to which they can gain access, they go though some kind of performance, the man with the chain telling the horse to rear, open its mouth, &c. The object of course is to obtain money. The horse will sometimes seize persons, and hold them fast till they pay for being set free; but he is generally very peaceable, for, in case of resistance being offered, his companions generally take to flight and leave the poor horse to fight it out.—N. & Q. 1st. S. vol. i. p. 258.
Lancashire.
At Great Marton, there was formerly a sort of procession of young people from house to house, at each of which they recited psalms, and, in return, received presents of cakes, whence the custom was called Psalm-caking.—Med. Ævi Kalend. 1841, vol. i. p. 375.